This invention relates to control means for coin operated or actuated devices, and in particular, to a rejector for use in vending machines and the like, or other devices which are coil or check actuated.
There are millions of such devices in use in the world today to control everything from candy vending machines and the like to copiers and telephones and the like. Thus, the amount of money handled by such devices is enormous, and accordingly, it is very important that a reliable and economical means be provided to accurately discriminate between coins of proper value and coins or slugs and the like which are not of the proper value to actuate or activate the device or mechanism, and all such devices presently in use have some means of effecting discrimination or selection of the proper coins, even if such means merely comprises a predimensioned slot or opening through which only certain coins can be fed. Other devices include sophisticated and expensive mechanical components and/or electrical components, which operate to discriminate between coins on the basis of both size and material content. However, most, if not all, such prior art devices will accept and fail to discriminate between some coins of improper value or slugs and the like. For example, some foreign coins are substantially identical in size and shape to American coins, and accordingly, these foreign coins will activate many of these prior art devices, thus resulting in a substantial loss to persons operating the machines due to the loss of goods and/or services due to the acceptance of the improper coins and the like. Moreover, there are many types of counterfeit coins or slugs in use today, and some of these counterfeit coins or slugs are very difficult to discriminate in conventional coin activated mechanism or rejectors. Further, the more complex a mechanism is made in order to render it capable of discriminating between proper and improper coins and the like or to reject counterfeit coins or slugs and the like, the more expensive and less reliable it becomes.
A device or means is thus desirable which is both economical in construction and reliable in operation, and which is operative to reject improper coins or slugs and the like and to discriminate between coins of proper and improper value and to pass those coins of proper value to cause actuation of a mechanism to dispense a certain goods or service, as the case may be.